The original James River District was created in 1970 when the Virginia High School league reorganized into AAA, AA, and A classifications.
Original schools included Fluvanna, Goochland, Amelia, Powhatan, Cumberland, Buckingham, and Prince Edward.
[2] Membership remained the same until the 2009 season when Goochland High School moved to a different conference,[3] which left Amelia, Buckingham, Randolph-Henry, Cumberland, and Lunenburg.
[4] Before the 2015 season, Prince Edward re-joined the James River District after spending 14 years in a different conference.
Cumberland High School did not field a team during the 2024 season due to low participation rates.